Sometimes you’ve got to throw in the towel on an accessory. Per a post on X (formerly Twitter), noted leaker “Kosutami” has cited that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has offered accurate […]

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Accessory Maker is Already Selling Cases for the Much Rumored 12.9″ iPad Air

Rumors about the imminent launch of new iPads have been swirling, mainly because it’s been a while since Apple last updated its iPad lineup. One of the most talked-about rumors is the introduction of a larger iPad Air for the first time, and some accessory makers are already ahead of the game, offering cases for […]

This post Accessory Maker is Already Selling Cases for the Much Rumored 12.9″ iPad Air appeared first on The Mac Observer

At this year’s annual hacking conference, Black Hat Asia, a team of security researchers revealed how cybercriminals are sneakily using stolen credit cards and Apple Store Online’s ‘Someone else will pick it up’ option in a scheme that has stolen over $400,000 in just two years.

9to5Mac Security Bite is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Making Apple devices work-ready and enterprise-safe is all we do. Our unique integrated approach to management and security combines state-of-the-art Apple-specific security solutions for fully automated Hardening & Compliance, Next Generation EDR, AI-powered Zero Trust, and exclusive Privilege Management with the most powerful and modern Apple MDM on the market. The result is a totally automated Apple Unified Platform currently trusted by over...

Apple Halts Production of FineWoven Accessories Amid Criticism Over Poor Durability

When Apple launched the iPhone 15 in September last year, they introduced a new material for their accessories: FineWoven. Apple decided not to use leather in their products, so they replaced it with this synthetic material made of “durable micro-twill”.  The issue is that many users have complained about the poor condition of their products […]

This post Apple Halts Production of FineWoven Accessories Amid Criticism Over Poor Durability appeared first on The Mac Observer

LeBron James Leaks New Beats Pill Speaker

In 2014, Apple acquired the audio company Beats for 3 billion dollars. It is to date the largest amount of money ever spent by Apple on an acquisition of this kind. Since then, the company has launched several products, the latest being the Beats Studio Pro. Now, LeBron James has been spotted with a Beats […]

This post LeBron James Leaks New Beats Pill Speaker appeared first on The Mac Observer

As indicated by much of the research material Apple has been publishing in recent months, the company is investing heavily in all sorts of artificial intelligence technologies. Apple will announce its AI strategy in June at WWDC, as part of iOS 18 and its other new OS versions.

In the latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman says to expect the new iPhone AI features to be powered entirely by an offline, on-device, large language model developed by Apple. You can expect Apple will tout the privacy and speed benefits of this approach.

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Macworld

Whether your profession is in the creative industry or you’re a DIY-er working on a passion project or repainting your walls, you’ve likely needed a reliable method of matching colors. Fortunately, you can get precise color matches for upholstery, paint colors, and more with this color-matching sensor.

The Nix Mini 2 is a fantastic tool for anyone who works with color, allowing users to color match accurately and on the go. It’s now only $59.97 (reg. $99) through April 21. 

This device has a highly calibrated sensor that can...

Jeff and Fernando talk about AltStore launching in the EU, the Delta Nintendo Emulator officially arriving in the App Store, iOS 17.5 beta changes and features, the upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Air with mini LED display, iPad Magic Keyboard conjecture, flying with Apple Vision Pro, and NAB 2024. It’s a jam-packed, fun-filled show, don’t miss it!

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Apple Vision Pro Used During Surgery to Assist Doctor in Brazil

Apple announced Vision Pro during WWDC23, and later launched it in the U.S. in February 2024. Furthermore, Tim Cook recently confirmed their arrival in China, and rumors suggest a launch in other countries such as Canada, France or the UK by the end of 2024. Since then, we’ve seen different approaches to the Vision Pro […]

This post Apple Vision Pro Used During Surgery to Assist Doctor in Brazil appeared first on The Mac Observer

M4 MacBook Pro Lineup: Here’s What We Know

Since Apple announced in 2020 its transition to in-house computer chips, the company has already launched three generations. This year we expect to see the fourth: the M4 series. According to some reports, Apple will unveil the first Macs with this new processor by the end of 2024, including new M4 MacBook Pro models. Last […]

This post M4 MacBook Pro Lineup: Here’s What We Know appeared first on The Mac Observer

Macworld

There’s nothing like having the convenience of hands-free use of your iPad. Whether you’re in the kitchen, streaming a film, or working at your desk, a stand becomes an essential tablet accessory.

Of course, those using their iPad for work may also want to pair the iPad with a keyboard—we have tested the best iPad keyboards for you).

An iPad stand will help your posture and viewing comfort, or make typing or using a stylus much easier.

We’ve rounded up some of the best iPad stands out there for every budget–from the lightweight and portable, to the adjustable, to the ones that just look great, and one that will turn your iPad into a desktop workstation.

Some are basic, some are stylish or super-bendy, one comes with an array of handy ports, and one looks like a cuddly toy.

...

Since the launch of Apple Vision Pro, we’ve seen some examples of surgeons using the headset to assist them during procedures. Now an orthopedic doctor in Brazil has used a Vision Pro to successfully operate on a patient with a rotator cuff tear.

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Incident began at 2024-04-19 14:12 (times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)).

Our Engineering team has identified the root cause of the issue and rolled back a recent change.

Our engineers are taking additional repair actions for the rollback to take effect for the impacted customers.

We do not have an ETA for mitigation at this point.

We will provide more information by Friday, 2024-04-19 14:00 US/Pacific.

Affected products: Google Chat

A year and a half after Apple launched its Studio Display, Samsung released a direct competitor with its ViewFinity S9 5K monitor. With many of the same features as Studio Display plus some beyond, it’s an interesting alternative. Follow along for how Studio Display vs Samsung ViewFinity S9 stack up.

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Macworld

Following a report that the Notes app will offer new math-based features, AppleInsider reports that the Calculator app will get a major overhaul in macOS 15. Apple is expected to debit macOS 15 at its Worldwide Developers Conference 2024 in June.

The changes to the macOS Calculator include:

• A redesign that resembles the iOS Calculator app. While the macOS Calculator app has a similar layour and color scheme as the iOS Calculator...

Incident began at 2024-04-19 14:12 (times are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)).

Engineering team potentially identified the root cause and working on mitigation.

We do not have an ETA for mitigation at this point.

Affected products: Gmail

For a limited time, Microsoft is partnering with Apple to offer Xbox owners a free 3-month trial of Apple TV+, Apple’s video streaming service. To redeem the offer, simply open the TV app on your Xbox console.

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Huawei this week revealed its super interesting new flagship smartphone, but around the corner still is the new “Watch Fit 3,” which does nothing to hide the fact that it’s a clear clone of the Apple Watch.

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Macworld

The 16-inch M3 MacBook Pro may be Apple’s fastest laptop, but other than a new color and a slightly faster chip, there isn’t much to get excited about. So when we see a fantastic deal on the M2 mode, we’re going to let you know: Official Apple reseller Expercom (via Amazon) is selling the 16-inch M2 Pro MacBook Pro with 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM for $1,999, a savings of $500 and the lowest price we’ve ever seen.

Compared to the M3 Pro model, you’re getting a slightly slower M2 Pro chip with a 12‑core CPU and 19‑core GP with this MacBook Pro—and that’s really it. Otherwise, the machines are identical, with the same...

Cops Can Make You Unlock Your iPhone, but There’s a Catch

Can cops force you to unlock your phone? Well, it depends on how you lock it. If you use a password or passcode to lock your device, police can’t make you unlock it. However, if you use biometrics such as Face ID or Touch ID, police can force you to unlock it.  Something similar happened […]

This post Cops Can Make You Unlock Your iPhone, but There’s a Catch appeared first on The Mac Observer

Apple to Overhaul Calculator on macOS 15 With Math Notes, Real-Time Currency Exchange, and More

The Calculator app is one of the most fundamental ones in macOS. Although there’s still no version for iPad, it seems that Apple continues to focus on improving it in its other operating systems. According to AppleInsider, the company is reportedly readying an overhaul of its macOS app. We should be able to see it […]

This post Apple to Overhaul Calculator on macOS 15 With Math Notes, Real-Time Currency Exchange, and More appeared first on The Mac Observer

The number of Netflix subscribers increased by 9.3M last quarter, to hit 270M globally – way higher than analysts had expected. However, the company says that it won’t (normally) reveal subscriber numbers in future …

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Macworld

Now that the iPhone’s port is USB-C there is a whole new world of wired headphones available for iPhones.

If you have one of the iPhone 15 generation handsets, or a recently purchased iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad mini or iPad 10th-genertion then at the base of your device is a UBC-C port, rather than Apple’s Lightning port. This is good news if you are on the hunt for a pair of headphones with a wired connection because you now don’t need an adaptor to use USB-C headphones.

There are a number of benefits to using USB-C headphones. Wired connections (generally) deliver better audio quality because the audio doesn’t need to be compressed as much as with wireless, so near-lossless audio can be possible. However, you should still expect expensive, high-quality wireless headphones to sound better than a pair of cheap USB-C headphones. You can only get true lossless playback with a wired connection. The only issue really...

3 Ways To Delete Favorite Songs Playlist on Apple Music

Apple Music automatically compiles all your Favorite Songs in a single playlist, which you can’t delete from your library. Most people are indifferent to it. If you regularly use Music, however, you might feel annoyed that the app suggests it so often. Luckily, there are some unofficial yet effective workarounds—here’s what you can do. How […]

This post 3 Ways To Delete Favorite Songs Playlist on Apple Music appeared first on The Mac Observer

Remember Tim Cook Staring Down ‘Mother Nature’ at iPhone 15 Launch? It’s Paying Off

Apple released its 2024 Environmental Progress Report this week. The report shows progress towards its goal of becoming carbon neutral across its entire value chain by 2030. The report comes after a memorable scene during the iPhone 15 launch, during which actress Octavia Spencer portrayed Mother Nature, holding Apple accountable for its environmental impact. Apple’s […]

This post Remember Tim Cook Staring Down ‘Mother Nature’ at iPhone 15 Launch? It’s Paying Off appeared first on The Mac Observer

Macworld

Negative criticism is fun, as Anton Ego so wisely observed. And I had a lot of fun this week watching Marques Brownlee’s polite demolition of the Humane AI pin, which he described as “the worst product I’ve ever reviewed.” Not just a solution in search of a problem, but a future in search of a present.

Humane’s product, a chunky AI-powered pin that sits on your lapel and operates by voice and gesture rather than possessing any kind of screen, is riddled with problems. Some of these feel like temporary issues that will be ironed out in version 2.0, such as battery life, mild overheating, and slow query response times. Others are more fundamental: will a projector interface coupled with gesture controls ever match...

Macworld

At a glance
Pros

• Reliable, easy to set up, and good at working behind the scenes to create backup archives
• Easy to migrate Time Machine data over to new Macs as needed
• Good level of encryption-based security for backup data

Cons

• Almost exclusively local backups rather than cloud-based backups
• Limited backup scheduling options
• Restore interface can be confusing

Our Verdict

Time Machine remains an outstanding solution for local backups on your Mac, but backups require an external drive, no cloud backups here.

Best Prices Today: Apple Time Machine

Retailer

Price

$0

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Fix: AirPods Pro 2 Connected to Samsung TV With No Sound

Is there no sound coming from your AirPods Pro 2 despite having a stable Bluetooth connection with your Samsung TV? Troubleshooting two devices at once is tedious. If you just want to zone out and watch your shows, follow these solutions—they address the most likely causes behind this issue. How To Fix AirPods Pro 2 […]

This post Fix: AirPods Pro 2 Connected to Samsung TV With No Sound appeared first on The Mac Observer

Apple’s rumored 12.9-inch iPad Air is rumored to be equipped with a mini-LED display that could be similar or identical to that of the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants. Per Young, the move to mini-LED technology for the 12.9-inch model would provide increased brightness for HDR […]

Source

Macworld

Efficiency and clarity in digital communication are essential, no matter what your business. So, it only stands to reason that having the tools to support those efforts could be a game changer. Jott Pro is an AI-powered image extractor, transcriber, and more, and through April 21, a lifetime license is currently on sale for only $34.97 (reg. $199).

This user-friendly tool has many features that can streamline everyday tasks for work, home, or school. Use it to seamlessly ...

Apple is rumored to be working on a new HomePod with a touchscreen LCD display on top, and we’ve already seen some images of this unreleased device floating around the web. Now Apple product collector Kosutami is back with a new image showing another part of one of these HomePod prototypes with a display.

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Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by Kolide by 1Password: The device trust solution that ensures that if a device isn’t secure, it can’t access your apps. Close the Zero Trust access gap for Okta. Watch the demo.

...

Last year Astropad launched its impressive Rock Paper Pencil kit for iPad that delivers a reusable/removable matte screen protector plus a ballpoint-style Apple Pencil tip for a real pen-on-paper experience. This year the company delivered Rock Paper Pencil v2 with a NanoCling border, flat profile, improved Apple Pencil tip, and more. Here’s what I think after testing out the improved version.

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Enlarge / That is in no way what the Z button looks like or where it goes...

Apple's decision earlier this month to open the iOS App Store to generic retro game emulators is already bearing fruit. Delta launched Wednesday as one of the first officially approved iOS apps to emulate Nintendo consoles from the NES through the N64 and the Game Boy through the Nintendo DS (though unofficial options have snuck through in the past).

Delta is an outgrowth of developer Riley Testut's...

Apple Watch is a must-have accessory for every cyclist. That’s become time and again it has proven critical for helping cyclists after a crash. Eric Zollinger from New York is the latest wearer to know firsthand.

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Macworld

While every iPhone release generates tons of excitement, there are only a couple that were truly historic. And now you can own one for a fraction of its original MSRP: Amazon’s Woot is selling Grade A Refurbished iPhone X for as low as $180 in this rare sale.

The iPhone X was released in 2017 alongside the iPhone 8 as a complete re-imagining of the handset. Where all other models had a home button and giant bezels around the screen, the iPhone X...

Macworld

We’re expecting Apple to unveil a new set of iPads during the first week of May. A new report on Thursday may provide a peek into what could be in store, and it says a lot about what the company is doing with its iPad lineup.

Analyst Ross Young posted on X (subscription required) that, “The upcoming 12.9″ iPad Air has a MiniLED display,” which is the same display technology used by the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Young states that Apple is using leftover supply from production of that Pro model since it is expected to...

Have you noticed your iPhone jump onto a WiFi network when you’re away from home without asking first? Or maybe you want to check what networks your iPhone is auto-joining? Follow along for how to turn off iPhone WiFi auto-join for public and carrier networks.

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A spring refresh may be around the corner, but in the meantime, you can save on Apple’s latest 12.9-inch iPad Pros from $1,029. It comes joined by a chance to save $265 on a stainless steel Apple Watch Series 9 and the first discount on Anker’s new . Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break.

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Macworld

You probably have a lot of online accounts, and in order to remember your login details you are quite likely to reuse those same few passwords over and over again. Perhaps you even have a document with them all in. It’s perfectly understandable, but definitely not safe.

We know that it’s important to use an original password for each account and update them on a regular basis, but it can be a Herculean task trying to retain that information in our heads. This is made even more challenging with different sites requiring specific mixtures of characters: this one demands at least two symbols and no capitals, while that one requires a mixture of cases and a minimum length. And then you have to change yet another password and feel like crying!

That’s where password manager apps come in. They allow users to create one master password, after which the app takes care of logging into all other accounts. They even make...

Razer has now unlocked the god-tier of mobile gaming. The company today is launching its latest smartphone controller grip for iPhone 15 and Android handsets. On top of just fully embracing USB-C, the new Razer Kishi Ultra steps up to deliver a more premium experience actually geared towards gamers with support for even larger devices like iPad mini 6. But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg for why this is .

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Ross Young of DSCC has great news for potential 12.9-inch iPad Air buyers. According to Young, the newly introduced larger iPad Air will use the same display technology as the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

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Apple will reveal its AI cards on June 10 at WWDC, and Siri is surely going to be a key component. Generally, people want Siri to get good. You can’t just replace Siri intelligence with generative AI, however, but the two technologies make a powerful combination. What I want to see from an AI-infused Siri is actually simple.

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Whether you’re trying to lose a few pounds and track your weight for other purposes, smart scales that sync data to the iPhone can be a fun and useful way to keep an eye your status.

If you want to easily collect your weight and other measurement data in the Health app on iPhone and iPad (new with iPadOS 17), the trick is to find a scale that works with HealthKit.

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Apple has pledged to buy US-made chips once TSMC’s Arizona plants come online, but the company may have to pay more for them.

TSMC’s chief exec has said that it plans to charge customers more for chips made outside of Taiwan, due to the higher production costs …

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Romance scams are getting a whole lot more convincing with the latest tactic: using two phones, one running a face-swap app, to conduct live video calls with victims …

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